A 73-year-old San Ysidro woman said yesterday that she stockpiled thousands of toys meant for needy children with every intention of handing them out.

“I'm just trying to help my community and that's it,” Virginia Kelly said.

Speaking at a news conference on the steps of the downtown Hall of Justice and later in an interview, Kelly said she was innocent of felony charges of grand theft and embezzlement. She denied selling the toys at garage sales for profit.

“I never sell anything and I never had anybody else sell anything for me,” said Kelly, who has received numerous awards for her volunteer work and has been a licensed foster parent since 1971.

Investigators in court documents said that in February and March they seized more than 11,000 toys from Kelly's home, a Chula Vista storage unit and her daughter's home in Chula Vista. (A video clip was provided by the San Diego County District Attorney's office.) Kelly was arrested April 1 at her home and pleaded not guilty at her arraignment the next day.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled May 28 to determine whether there is enough evidence to go to trial. Kelly faces up to four years in prison if tried and convicted.

The toys are being kept as evidence pending resolution of the case, but ultimately they will be distributed to children through the Marine Corps Toys for Tots program, said Steve Walker, a spokesman for the District Attorney's Office.

Investigators said Kelly collected about 1,700 toys per year from the Toys for Tots program and the Child Abuse Prevention Foundation. They said she gave about half of them to children and kept the rest, selling some at garage sales.

Toys, blankets and other goods also were donated directly to Kelly, Curran said. She said items seized by investigators included baby food and medicine that was past its expiration date and couldn't be given away.

Sometimes, the toys Kelly gets are broken and not suitable to be handed out as Christmas presents, or she is given things that aren't appropriate as holiday gifts, Curran said.

Kelly said she donates them to St. Vincent de Paul Village and other charities.

Curran said she has receipts from St. Vincent's showing that Kelly donated items several times in 2008 and most recently in March. A spokesman for the charity said it is against policy to reveal the names of donors.

After Kelly received the national Jefferson Award by The American Institute of Public Service in 2006, people donated more toys than Kelly could handle, Curran said.

“They just dropped them off by the truckload in her front yard,” Curran said.

Kelly said sometimes the toys she gets in one year don't match the ages or gender of the children who need them, so she saves the toys for the next year.

“What I do, I'm the kind of person, I look ahead and be prepared for next year. Who knows what I'll need?,” she said.

Kelly said she was saddened by the charges filed against her but, “I'm not angry.”